How much can I make?

I was just wondering how much a MCSE would make in Central Florida? I have about a year of Server 2003 experience and I am still testing for my MCSE 2003. A friend of mine has asked me to go into consulting with him in NY. I'm a bit nervous about doing so because I don't have any certs yet and not to much experience either. I have a Bachelors in a different field (not IT related), but I hate my career and I love IT and want to move back into it.

I'd appreciate any advise.

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deneb829

internet-guy that can be a pretty broad range. With your current level of experience and the score on your server exam, I recommend hooking up with someone with experience and learning on-the-job from them. A good teacher is worth a ton of certifications - especially if your goals are to go into business for yourself, where you will ultimately be judged on your work and not certifications.

If your friend in NY already has clients and experience and you are in a position to make the changes in your world, I'd say go for it. Experience is the best teachers and teachers with experience make even better teachers!

litehedded

I'm in orlando as well and it all depends on experience.
anywhere from 30 to 50 to start from what I've seen

garv221

Without any work experience I would guess around $12-$15.00/hour.

drakhan2002

garv221 wrote:

Without any work experience I would guess around $12-$15.00/hour.

They still pay entry level people $12-$15 per hour? My first IT job in 1993 I was paid $13 per hour to install RAM and NICs into PCs. A lot has changed since then...but I'm suprised to see the pay is still the same.

litehedded

drakhan2002 wrote:

garv221 wrote:

Without any work experience I would guess around $12-$15.00/hour.

They still pay entry level people $12-$15 per hour? My first IT job in 1993 I was paid $13 per hour to install RAM and NICs into PCs. A lot has changed since then...but I'm suprised to see the pay is still the same.

sounds low to me
but these days they will pay as little as you allow them to pay you

Inc

drakhan2002 wrote:

garv221 wrote:

Without any work experience I would guess around $12-$15.00/hour.

They still pay entry level people $12-$15 per hour? My first IT job in 1993 I was paid $13 per hour to install RAM and NICs into PCs. A lot has changed since then...but I'm suprised to see the pay is still the same.

Entry level now has to know more than entry level almost 15 years ago. To elaborate - don't forget inflation too.

sthomas

drakhan2002 wrote:

garv221 wrote:

Without any work experience I would guess around $12-$15.00/hour.

They still pay entry level people $12-$15 per hour? My first IT job in 1993 I was paid $13 per hour to install RAM and NICs into PCs. A lot has changed since then...but I'm suprised to see the pay is still the same.

I think it is that way because there are more people trying to break into IT now than there where back in the early-mid 90's.

Ye Gum Noki

Also, in the Orlando area right now, there are more people looking for entry-level IT work than there are enrty level IT positions... but not a whole lot more.

AND... Not too many people want entry level SERVER folks. Engineering and admining on a 2003 domain is something that requires a decent level of experience. So just because you get your MCSE, you can't really expect to get MCSE type money unless you have a couple or three years of experience under your belt with AD and GPOs. Of course there exceptions to every thing I have just said, but these things are GENERALLY true.

I think you could make almost 50K if you had a 2003 MCSE and three years of experience.

Now if you want BIGGER money in the southeast US, the only two places you can go are Atlanta and Miami.... Charlotte or Raliegh are good spots too for big bucks, but Raliegh is a technological mecca with many experienced IT pros already there "ruining everyone's lives and eating all our steaks."

Good luck,

garv221

drakhan2002 wrote:

garv221 wrote:

Without any work experience I would guess around $12-$15.00/hour.

They still pay entry level people $12-$15 per hour? My first IT job in 1993 I was paid $13 per hour to install RAM and NICs into PCs. A lot has changed since then...but I'm suprised to see the pay is still the same.

Yeah, it sounds backwards but you have to put a few things into perspective. In 93' some considered adding ram a difficult task, now end users do it. In 93' that type of work was in demand, now the market is flooded with inexperienced people looking for entry level jobs, thus driving the hourly rate down. Those were the days when all someone needed was MCSE for a nice pay day! IT has grown into different departments and specializations, along with youth growing up with computers and the adults getting familiar with them. It was a big rush in the beginning for IT because we could charge big rates in the mainstream while everyone was just learning how to turn the pc on, now everyone knows someone who is a "computer whiz."

blargoe

If anything I would say that for true entry level jobs, wages have probably gone down over the past 12-15 years.

coldbug

Followings are salary report according to salary.com
some positions require a Bachelor Degree in IT or IT related field, and minimum of 5 years experience. some entry positions do not require a degree, but helpful.
* = degrees widely obtained in United States of America <in IT field>
Degrees are:
*B.S in Computer Science
B.S in Computer Engineering
*B.S in Information Technology
* B.S in Information Systems
B.BA in Information Systems <Bachelor of Business Administration in I.S>
B.S in Systems Engineering
B.S in Electrical Engineering

5 years experienced System Administrator with Bachelor Degree in IT field make from $57,398 to $74,419.
5 years experienced System Engineer with Bachelor degree in IT field make from $76,096 to $94.842.
5 years experienced Information Systems Manager/Director with Bachelor degree in IT field make from $88,091 to $117, 531.
Level I Network Administrator<entry level> with 1-3 years experience with certifications make from $41,697 to $52,557.
Level II Network Administrator with at least 3 years experience with certifications make from $49,545 to $63,109.
Level III Network Administrator with at least 3 years experience and Bachelor Degree in IT field make from $55,113 to $74,062.
Tier I Help Desk with Associate Degree in IT or certifications with no prior experience make from $32,114 to $41,244.
Tier II Help Desk with Associate Degree<may require Bachelor degree> in IT or certifications with 2-3 years experience make from $66,543 to $90,122.

NPA24

I live in Central Florida and I landed my job 3 years ago. I only had the basic CompTIA certs and I started out at $35,000. I did have a background of 3 years doing technical support for various companies.

I would suggest in just trying to get the experience. Don't worry about pay because knowledge trumps everything and you will be compensated in the long run. Struggle now and you will soon see yourself living an awesome life later.

I check the common websites like Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com and companies seem to be paying less. If I was looking for a job now from the only experience and certs I had back then 3 years ago....I would say I wouldn't even be able to find a job that would pay me more than $33,000. I guess I was lucky back then.

To that paragraph above is the reason why I still pursue certifications. As you can see on my certs list to the left of this comment, over the past 3 years I have added many certifications to my belt. Experience, education, and certifications in my opinion is the formula for success in this field.

If you need help in getting a job in Orlando...send me a PM and I can see what I can do.

Ye Gum Noki

NPA24... very good post. I hope every one reads it.